Cowboys among teams interested in former UT standout Vaccaro

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Kenny Vaccaro catches a pass during a drill Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. (Michael Conroy/Associated Press)

By Tom Orsborn

INDIANAPOLIS – Former Texas safety Kenny Vaccaro sees himself as the answer to the NFL’s new breed of ultra-athletic tight ends.

In other words, he believes he’s worthy of a top-10 pick, a label rarely slapped on a safety.

“I think people are starting to appreciate safeties more, now that tight ends are turning into freaks and controlling the middle of the field,” Vaccaro said, referring to Rob Gronkowski, Jimmy Graham, Vernon Davis and other young, talented tight ends.

“You’ve got to have a safety who can cover and come up and hit.”

Scouts believe Vaccaro fits that description perfectly.

Considered the top prospect in a deep safety class, Vaccaro could wind up as the highest drafted Longhorn since the man he replaced, Earl Thomas, went 14th overall to Seattle in 2010.

In need of a playmaker at the back end of defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin’s Tampa 2 defense, the Dallas Cowboys have already lined up an interview with Vaccaro at Valley Ranch.

“If there is a need on defense, to me, the biggest need is going to be safety,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Indeed, Dallas safeties Barry Church and 2012 fourth-round pick Matt Johnson are coming off injuries. And with the Cowboys needing to trim roughly $21 million off their salary cap to get under the projected limit of $122 million, veteran Gerald Sensabaugh could be released.

Only one problem: Vaccaro might be gone before the Cowboys are on the clock with the No. 18 pick.

“It’s the best safety class I’ve seen in years, with a bunch of first-round guys,” NFL.com draft analyst Mike Mayock said. “Vaccaro is a really good football player. I’d be surprised if he gets past the top 15 or so, which is pretty high for a safety.”

Asked if he is the best safety in the draft, Vaccaro said, “I bring the most to the table.”

It’s hard to argue against that claim. A two-time first-team All-Big 12 pick, Vaccaro was the best performer for a bad defense last season, recording a career-best 107 tackles and five takeaways, including two interceptions.

“Vaccaro’s the one where the more tape I watch, the more I like him,” Mayock said. “They played him closer to the line of scrimmage this year. He covered a bunch of slot (receivers) this year, watched him cover Tavon Austin from West Virginia, and that’s rare. In today’s world, that’s rare and that’s important.”

Said Vaccaro, “Me and Tavon were going at it all game. I would say he’s one of the most explosive players in the country, and I’d say I was right there with him.”

The 6-foot, 214-pound Vaccaro also pointed to his versatility as proof of his coverage skills.

“I played both safeties, strong and free,” he said. “I played nickel. I played dime. In some instances, I played corner.”

A student of the game, Vaccaro believes he will do just fine quarterbacking an NFL secondary.

“I understand concepts,” he said. “I can line guys up.”

Before traveling to Indianapolis, Vaccaro received advice from his uncle, former Clemens and Southwest Texas State (now Texas State) standout A.J. Johnson, who played cornerback in the NFL for seven seasons and was a member of the 1991 Super Bowl champion Washington Redskins.

“He just told me, ‘Be you and you’ll be fine,’ ” Vaccaro said.

More words of wisdom came from Thomas.

“Me and Earl talk all the time,” Vaccaro said. “He’s just constantly reminding me to do my thing…I just try to mold my game around his passion for the game. My freshman year I used to watch him run around the field, practicing full speed, full intensity. So I try to model my game after his.”